Media reactions to Boris Nemtsov's murder

Navy Seals punished for secrecy breach over video game

Seven elite US soldiers have been punished for handing over secret information to help with the making of the video game, "Medal of Honour: Warfighter", officials reported on Thursday.

Seven Navy SEALs, part of an elite team of US soldiers, have been reprimanded for divulging secret information for a video game, officials told AFP.

The seven were sanctioned for dereliction of duty, disclosure of classified material, use of command gear and violating orders while serving as consultants for the development of the "Medal of Honor: Warfighter" video game.

"They received a punitive letter of reprimand and forfeiture of a half month's pay for two months," a US Navy official told AFP late Thursday on condition of anonymity.

US broadcaster CBS said the SEALs are part of the famous SEAL Team Six, famed for carrying out the raid that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. The official, however, refused to confirm this.

According to a US defense official, an investigation is under way to determine if more personnel are involved.

Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, deputy commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, said all allegations of misconduct are taken seriously.

"We likewise take seriously the Non-Disclosure Agreements signed by sailors and adherence to the articles of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice," he said in a statement.

"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as sailors in the United States Navy."

The bin Laden raid has given rise to several controversies linked to the disclosure of secret information.

President Barack Obama's administration has been accused by Republican critics of divulging classified information to screenwriters of Kathryn Bigelow's film "Zero Dark Thirty" for political gain in the run-up to the recent presidential election.